15 Mar 2019: If your brother fights with you, you are always on the wrong!

If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Two school boys had a fist fight. The class teacher called them and asked who started the fight. The bully pointed the other and said: “He is the one who started it, because he hit me back!” Today’s Gospel sounds somewhat similar. If your brother has something against you, you are on the wrong! Where is the logic?

The logic is in the first verse (v.20) with which Jesus starts his instruction. “If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of God.”

If you hit the man who hit you, well you are similar to the Scribes! And you will “never” get into the kingdom of God. Oh boy, this blessed Kingdom is not an easy affair.

The Christians are slapped on the face in so many ways all over the world today. The strong temptation is to give a tight one back! How long to show the other cheek! But then that alternative is not available to the Christian. Blessed are the meek! It is humanly impossible to believe that this kind of meekness is a sign of blessedness. That is why we need Grace!

The ability to forgive constantly in the face of a brother who wrongs you, is possible to acquire only by supernatural strength. Natural strength is enough to give a tight one back. And this supernatural strength is precisely the Grace that we need to beg for. That makes us infinitely stronger!